WARRIMOO ON FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14219, 16 November 1909, Page 5

WARRIMOO ON FIRE.

IISRCE FIGHT WITH FLAMES. i' damage TO CARGO. C OPPOSED SPONTANEOUS . ' < ' ' COMBUSTION. • ' "• ■ "Bj&r iEi£t' B - s ' rH '~ PBESS association-.] Dunedin, Monday. inHUors fir« occurred in the No. 1 hold t-he Union Steam Ship Company's s.s. i'fetooo, early His mowing, and th. :". VrM k « not suppressed until con » ratio" damage had been done. A 11'r'"de© down the for© hatchway subsoWairflv showed a chaotic mass of partially- | Ipffled flax, barrels,, caees, (stencilled j w ith care and otlier oddments, j jS^gtJathesurface of inklike water that Se levelwith the lower deck. Further / forward the cre\W quarters were eeared blistered and blackened, the fire havV- gurprifed the occupants of the fore*?(dtie by blazing up through the deck. This, was all the damage visible. It was i ver 'the side, or deep down in the chip, and the extent of it will not be ascertained for •' » day or two. The steerage quarters J sboTred signs of having been hastily abandoned by its occupants, and of a good deal attention from the fire, hoses. •i At 3-50 v a.m. according to the ship's log "(is fire was discovered. Cargo was not flB being worked. One of the men on fte"' ynchor watch appears to have smelt 'eometh'ing unusual. Then a thin spiral of sioke was discovered rising from forward, ;^d. one"or-two men state that they heard I crackling sound. Strenuous efforts were Eaife: to locate the fire, officers and men working at high pressure, care, being taken this time not to disturb the passengers. ' leads were got to work, but the in* i. leasing volumes of smoke and the intensity of',, the heat showed that the ; dip's hoses were taking little effect, and the City Fire Brigade was iMmmfflwd. Smoke began to ascend in lipase clouds, pierced by leaping tongues', of 'flacie. Paint curled from the ironwork iWe chips, and the depths of the forehold flowed aid roared like an inferno. When $$$ forecastle s became too hot the chief 'officer,(Mr. J. J. Hughes) ordered the men to etand off, and descended himself to ; alvage baggage and find a possible approach for fire hoses. The iron approach ladders to the forehold were by this time too hot to be used, and the etaunchions, jibe, : and' plates in the region of the fire i\'^ecame ; red-hot, notably on the starboard |aside. | Ironwork began to crack ominously, giving- here and there every symptom of ftackling. Parts of the shell became so ' lot that water hissed all round the bow; of pe vessel. r>Such Was the condit ion of tilings when the'fire brigade arrived about 4.30. , , ■ ■■'";; • ,Th« firemen, to get at the fire, had;, to /; bod; holes through ' the deck. This accomplished and ; six leads, got to work, a tceoe followed • in which flame and water, (team and smoke, and determined figures,of 'men were intermingled. The attempts to ? rot. down to the seat of the fire were many, ~ gat^unavailing.' The lower part of .the for- | $aidf division of the vessel had become a red-hot oven, in which 110jll&gicould live, and against which even jackets" ronld not avaiL Abaft $ Sid above the fire zone were stalled' 31 parses r on- the main deck. . ' The captain, officers, and crew, and helpers concentrated j 3ieir. attent ion on these, and all the horses iooimd for Melbourne,,were' landed without |?cadont-.axkd -with -hardly any excitement.: '- To extinguish the fire* it was • necessary Ho. flood the hold, ; and pumping operations were in .progress till about eight a.m., when tie water reached the beams and the Warrimoo "drew " about 29ft forward;- When the vessel was sufficiently cool-the pumping«tjt process i commenced, and at 2.30 p.m. tl}& ■] salmon-pink- about the waterline was < 'just reappearing. : •- • ' As far as can be gathered at present the jfralk of 'the; cargo in the. damaged ! hold, is" {Wellington flax for Melbourne. -A - guess places the quantity of flax destroyed at two ions. There were also timber, general cargo, fcnd - a good many large consignments for feinedin homes. . Exactly what these goods .to whom they have been consigned, ' jo what extent they have be'en damaged canjjxS&fc be ascertained till.the contents of this . (part of the vessel have been unloaded. The damage to the cargo forward must be very fep?id&rabte. The damage to the vessel apf Kjjjjjj® be ■ several buckled ribs and' plates $obt the starboard bow, scorched forecabin imd partially destroyed forecastle. Some of ithe teamen made their escape in the .scan* Itittt of attire, and with the firemen have ; Jwataaned losses in personal property. One fflan claims to. have lost £8 besides his' kit. | Spare hands were signed off yesterday morn- ?. The cause of the fire is attributed to spontaneous combustion taking place among • tte flax. . ' difficulties of the ; BRIGADE. '- V- A DESPERATE STRUGGLE. Captain ; Mitchell, of the Fire Brigade, ■tt" conversation with reporters, said: When the brigade arrived we • found the forehold of the Warrimoo well alight. Jpould we have reached the fire we could probably have extinguished it in 10 minutes, Wwe could not get at it. We set to Work, and soon we were pumping at the rate Ci 2500 gallons a minute. The .ship had »two hoses at work, and these added nearly another thousand gallons a minute. We jfade two desperate attempts to get below ,„<> where the fire was. The men wore ' Pf°ke jackets, which' answered admirably, \ ;.w ® le men are not salamanders, and i ®8h comparatively untroubled by smoke. | |||®}great. beat was unbearable. There I s*3* nothing for it but to deluge the hold. ■ IK' 8 am "/ had 18ft of water in the ' ' it,' hold >. a nd ' the fire was drowned, out. ! t ten as it was, the forecabin stood a very \ ■fg chance of being burned out, as red- ' ® iron plates in themsolves constituted a f |§^if u r ce of danger. There can be I |f ihF 'oubt that had this fire occurred at sea | Would have been a very serious matter. I StlfiH .that every shin should be I witb chemical ' extinguishers. ' The I !S g^-hehull wiU probably be found | %S«i«?^ ! : extensive on the starboard side, several ribs and plates are, buckled i tie heat," ' ■ ■ I gift; I ' THE -TRIP abandoned. I\ ; - I TO BE DOCKED. Steam Ship Company's 1 " ;Wae an nounced that the I not he able to leave on I!' fWbih^l 8 '- ere was an idea of tran--1 oa to a spare' steamer; 1 to abandon the Mel- (|: VESSEL TO BE DOCKF.D. wiU WHen the Union Steam Ship Company's torir? Pe Wttfi announced that the T Vflv°° wou 'd n °t- be able to leave on ionirw 6 ' There was an idea of tran on to a. 6pare 6teamer, |'urnA ? - 8 to abandon the Mel--3 it' 1118 , week. . The Warrimoo »fu Manuka. The Warrimoo I 'P&ffi P ?-? in S dr y» be unloaded and I waWy docked at Port Chalmers for sur* I car S° w iU be taken on .by a 1 Iffitep^he work of unloading £ Probably be commenced to-day. -, - ; | \ '';,